The arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, on suspicion of abandoning the body of Ms. Lindsay Ann Hawker, a 22-year-old Briton who taught English, brought immense relief to the Hawker family, who fought relentlessly for justice in the murder case for more than 2 1/2 years. As the father, Mr. Bill Hawker, put it, "Our nightmare is finally over."
For their part, the Chiba prefectural police must feel a sense of satisfaction that they finally got their man. After Ms. Hawker failed to return home after apparently meeting Ichihashi for an English lesson, the police sought to question him the night of March 26, 2007. He fled barefoot when he saw them and evaded arrest despite the presence of eight armed police officers. Ms. Hawker's body was then found on the balcony of his apartment.
Adding insult to injury, the suspect was able to remain on the run for 31 months despite the highly publicized nature of the case. This raises serious questions about the efficacy of the police investigation. To encourage tips from the public, the police had distributed the suspect's photo, a montage of him in women's clothes and a video recording of him in an elevator. In June 2009, they increased the reward for information leading to his arrest from ¥1 million to ¥10 million. Nevertheless, getting useful leads proved difficult. In part this could be a result of a loosening of interpersonal and community ties, which often makes it difficult for investigators get valuable information even when they question suspects' neighbors and acquaintances.